


Just Sit With Me in the Dark

by FreyaAtterton



Series: (Never Forget) How Wildly Capable You Are [2]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Depression, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hawaii, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Past Abuse, Protective Steve McGarrett, Romance, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Worried Steve McGarrett
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:01:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23444389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreyaAtterton/pseuds/FreyaAtterton
Summary: With the bad guy behind bars, Sophia's life can go back to normal, right? Well, she might need a little help with that. Sequel to (Never Forget) How Wildly Capable You Are. I highly recommend that you read that story; otherwise this won't make much sense.
Relationships: Steve McGarrett & Danny "Danno" Williams, Steve McGarrett/Original Female Character(s)
Series: (Never Forget) How Wildly Capable You Are [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686574
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there!  
> So here is the sequel I promised. This is going to be a shorter story, maybe like three chapters. Then we'll see ;)  
> I'd like to thank my beta, Phoebe Miller for the help and support.  
> Enjoy and stay safe!  
> Disclaimer: I do not own H50. I wish.

Steve is not surprised that Sophia doesn't call him. He can't help feeling disappointed, though.

He looks at his phone more often than he would admit and he would probably do it even more often, if he wasn't afraid that Danny could notice. His friend would make fun of him, and he would not see the end of it.

He just hopes that Sophia has taken his advice and got to know some people, made friends.

And then the day arrives when Jacob Seito is put on trial, and Sophia is going to be there. Steve also has to be present, it was Five-0's case after all, and he hopes he will meet her just to make sure she's doing fine.

Steve hoped she might call him for support, for encouragement before the trial, but she obviously didn't need any of that. She's a strong woman, he reminds himself. Sophia didn't need saving, she saved herself from Seito. Twice, to be exact.

Yeah, she's strong. That's why it didn't surprise Steve when he heard that Sophia would be there at the court. She didn't need to, but she wanted to. Steve knows she feels guilty for Emily Hino's death, she told him herself. Now she apparently tries to do everything she can to bring Emily's murderer to justice.

~

Well, the hearing at the court is over.

Sophia answered a lot of questions, and when Steve was sitting in the courtroom listening to her, he couldn't help noticing how lifeless her voice sounded. As if she forced herself to be there, to tell everything, but she told her story as if it was someone else's and not her own.

Steve suspects it was some kind of self-defense tactic to protect her from having to go back to the lot behind the club and into Seito's car. She didn't want to go through all those things again, but she knew she had to talk about it to ensure Seito gets what he deserves.

Steve also noticed that Sophia hardly looked at anyone. She answered the questions shortly. She never spoke more than necessary. She didn't want to be there at all, but probably she felt she owed Emily.

But who could blame her? Who would be happy to talk about being assaulted, nearly raped, kidnapped and almost killed twice? Especially in front of a bunch of strangers. The press wasn't allowed into the courtroom, but there were still a lot of people in there.

Sophia didn't notice Steve. She couldn't have, as she mostly stared at her hands.

Now Steve stands outside of the building leaning against his truck. Somehow he's reluctant to leave. He looks at the steps where the reporters wait for Sophia to come out. The hotel heiress's assault and kidnapping have been trending news in the local media.

And when Sophia does appear, all the reporters, photographers and cameramen rally around her frantically. There are cameras and microphones everywhere, Steve can hardly see Sophia in the crowd.

He makes a step toward the building, being ready to jump in and get her out of the crowd right away.

But once again, she doesn't need his help. Hiding behind her sunglasses, she moves swiftly and confidently through the horde of reporters. Their questions she doesn't answer.

Then as she's about to get in her car – the green Lamborghini, of course – she looks up and straight at Steve. Just like back in the gazebo, she must have felt his eyes on her.

She nods to him, and he nods back. That's it. She gets in the car and drives away.

~

Steve is back at the palace, and as they have no new case, he decides to finally give in and do the paperwork he always tries to shelve. Danny does the same in his office, and Steve has sent the others home to enjoy the beautiful afternoon. Who knows when will they get a new case that keeps them away from the sunny beaches for days or even weeks?

Steve's phone buzzes on his desk. A few days or even just a few hours ago, he would've checked it right away but he's not so eager anymore. He saw Sophia, she's doing just fine. It can't be her.

He finishes filling the form in front of him and after signing it, he eventually grabs his phone.

He raises an eyebrow. It's a text from Sophia.

'Hey, Steve, can you recommend a mountaintop on the island that is far away from everything?'

What the hell? He tries to interpret the words but fails to understand the meaning behind the question. So he decides to ask back.

'Do you mind me asking why?'

Simple questions are the best; that much he has learnt in the last few years.

'Let's just say I have some steam I need to let off.'

He smiles to himself. She wants to climb up a mountain to yell as loud as she can. So she has decided to get rid of some tension. Good. Suppressing it is definitely not healthy. And after all Sophia has gone through, she must have tons of tension. And probably some anger, too.

Even though Sophia has not invited him to join her on a hike, he replies something that she probably doesn't expect.

'I have a better idea.'

And he offers her to meet him in an hour at the marina.

It takes her so long to answer, that he starts to believe he has scared her off. He might have been too pushy.

But then his phone buzzes again.

'Okay. See you there.'

He needs to call in some favors and he also needs to deal with Danny's bitching for leaving him behind with all the paperwork, but he doesn't care.

Five minutes later he's already driving to the marina.

~  
~

Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Here is the second chapter. It's a bit longer than usual, I hope you don't mind :)  
> I'd like to thank my beta, Phoebe Miller for the help and support.  
> Enjoy and stay safe!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own H50. I wish.

"Wow, nice boat."

"Thank you, but it's actually not mine. Borrowed from a friend," Steve says and holds his hand out to help Sophia get on the board. Kamekona can arrange literally everything, he thinks gratefully.

Sophia wears shorts and a white tank top, her hair is in a messy bun. She wears the same shades as in front of the courthouse a few hours ago.

"So what are we up to?" she asks looking around curiously and then sits down.

"We're going out," Steve simply answers and moves to turn the key in the ignition. Then remembering something, he quickly turns back to her. "If that's okay with you," he adds.

She tilts her head. "I trust you," she says as if she could read his thoughts. Trust issues would be absolutely understandable given what happened to her. "Although, just so you know, I told my neighbor, Haya who I would be with."

"That's smart," he replies starting the boat. "It's always good to be careful."

"I guess I can't live my life thinking every man out there is just waiting to kill me, right?" She laughs nervously trying to disguise her doubts as a joke.

"You can't allow Seito ruin your life. Be cautious, that's good, but don't let fear take over your life."

Sophia nods and looks away. She might be blinking away some tears.

"I know, easy to say, right?" Steve smiles. "But you're getting there, Sophia, don't worry. Don't expect yourself to be okay so soon after all this shit. But you'll get there, I promise."

"I hope so," she sighs. "I just want my life to be normal, you know? And for a long time, I thought if I ignore my problems, they would just magically disappear."

"Yeah, that would be great, but unfortunately it doesn't work like that," Steve says and hopes Sophia will believe him and will understand he speaks from experience. "You can pile up all the frustration, anger, disappointment and negativity for a while, but then it will all blow up in your face, when you least expect it."

Sophia exhales. "Yeah, that's why I called you, Steve. Today at the court… I felt that was the last drop and I didn't want to wait until… how did you say it? Until it blows up in my face. I was trying the suppressing method, when you and your partner came to me for help. I thought losing my dad, my only family and dealing with the fact that now I can never make it up with him was more than enough to handle. Dealing with that asshole Seito on the top of that was just too much. I didn't have strength to process that, too. That's why I turned you away, and I'm sorry. For the way I behaved and because if I had filed that damned report, maybe you or HPD, I don't know, could have caught Seito before he killed Emily Hino."

"Hey, Sophia, you can't blame yourself for Emily's death," Steve says. He kills the engine of the boat and sits down beside her. "It was entirely Seito's decision to kill her."

But he understands Sophia. In her place, he would blame himself, too and wouldn't care if he's right or not. But right now Sophia carries way too much guilt: blaming herself for not reconciling with her dad before his death and blaming herself for Emily's murder. Even one of those things would be a way too heavy burden for anyone.

But Sophia doesn't seem to hear him and he realizes he doesn't really have to say anything. Just listen.

"I thought I could make at least one of my mistakes right, if I go to the court to testify against Seito," she continues. "But thing is even if he's sent to prison – and he will be, of course – that doesn't bring Emily back. Nothing ever will."

She swipes off a few tears and stares at the ocean. Steve wants to comfort her. He wants to hug her or at least put an arm on her shoulder to pull her close. But he thinks she's so deep in her own thoughts and so far away from him, that he would just scare her, if he touched her. Yet he can't help touching her hand just to assure her she's not alone. She doesn't react but doesn't pull away her hand either, just continues to gaze at the water.

"And I understood that in the courtroom today," she explains. "While I was sitting there answering questions, going into detail about what I want to forget so badly. I realized it's all in vain. I can try to convince myself that this was the right thing to do, that I owe Emily with this but either way, I can't change what's over. And her life is over." She shakes her head. "And then I so wanted to run out of there, to leave everything behind. And I still want that. Just run as far as I can and hide under a rock."

She laughs nervously and looks down at her hands. She doesn't seem to notice that one of them is held by Steve.

Steve's heart breaks for the woman beside him. Sophia runs twice a day to get away from her problems – because it's obviously an attempt to escape, and as Haya said she ran too much. Even when it pours and no sane person would go for a run, as Danny pointed out. From now on, she might run three or four times a day.

He would love to tell her she's taking too much guilt on her. She ruins her life if she's unable to let go of the past, of the things she can't change now. Yes, she must learn to live with her mistakes, with the regrets but there's much less of that as she thinks. She must learn to let go, if she doesn't want to spend the rest of her life in misery.

If Danny was here now, he would laugh at him saying 'Look, who's talking!'

Steve sighs. He guesses right now Sophia is not at a place where she could be reasoned with. Maybe another time, but right now she's way too deep in her own guilt.

And he remembers what Sophia wanted to do. She didn't ask him to listen to her, no, she wanted to climb a mountain to blow off steam. And that's exactly the reason why he has brought her here. He gets up.

But Sophia seems to misunderstand him. "Oh, I'm sorry, Steve, I didn't want to bother you with all this," she smiles apologetically.

Steve frowns. "Are you kidding me? Come on, you're not bothering me! It was me who offered you to call any time you need someone to… I don't know, to give company, to talk to, to hang out with, whatever. And the offer still stands."

"Yeah, but this surely wasn't what you meant," she says.

"Yes, Sophia, I did mean this. This, too. To talk about things. About what happened to you and how you feel about it. I think it's good that you talked about it."

"Well, I certainly don't remember the last time I spoke this much," she laughs embarrassed.

"I'm happy you did," Steve smiles. "And now come on, we're here," he says and points at the ocean.

She stands up too. "Where are we exactly?" she asks looking around. There's only water everywhere. Blue, glistening surface as far as she can see. Oahu seems so tiny that she's not sure if that little green thing is the island or just an illusion. "It's like we're in the middle of the ocean. In the middle of nowhere."

"Exactly!" Steve says triumphantly. "I think it's better than a mountaintop. At least, it's much less fuss to get here."

Sophia looks uncomfortable. "You know why I wanted to hike to a mountaintop, right?"

"To scream your lungs out?" he shrugs. "I guessed that's how you want to blow off steam. Am I right? And it's a great idea by the way. It helps, I promise."

"Yeah, but…" she trails off.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot," Steve says and takes his headphones out of a bag he has brought with him. And a book. "Don't mind me," he winks at her.

He sits down turning his back to her, puts on the headphones and opens the book. He knows she needs space now and as much as he can do it on the boat, he's more than happy to give it to her.

~

When some time later Sophia taps Steve's shoulder, he looks up from the book and puts down the headphones. She tilts her head toward the island.

"Are you sure you're ready?" he asks. "Me, AC/DC and the 'History of Firearms and Weapons' are having a really good time here."

"Yeah, I'm sure. We can go back now," she says giving him a little smile.

Steve starts the boat. He doesn't ask if she has managed to get rid of some anger and she doesn't say anything either. She just sits there staring at the horizon. She might have screamed her lungs out or maybe she was too embarrassed with Steve being here and didn't. She might have cried. She might have dwelled on her problems. She might have done nothing at all. But she definitely seems at least a little bit calmer than before. Well, gazing at the ocean is sure like therapy.

And honestly, Steve's pretty sure there was no screaming here at all. He would have heard that despite the loud music. But Steve believes what Sophia really needs is company, a pair of ears to listen to her. And he's more than ready to give her that.

Back at the marina, Steve walks towards the parking lot.

"Oh, wait a minute," Sophia says behind him. "I need to call a cab." She already pulls out her phone from her bag.

"Why?" Steve frowns. "What happened to your car?"

"You mean the giant grasshopper?" she laughs. "It's not just ugly, it's unreliable, too. It broke down when I was driving home from court."

"I wouldn't say ugly…" Steve muses.

He notices how relaxed she looks. Not, not happy, not yet but relaxed, yes. She's joking, chuckling. This boat trip has definitely been a good idea. He mentally pats himself on the shoulder.

"Then what would you say?" Sophia grins.

"Extraordinary, maybe? Unique?"

"Sure. It's ugly, no reason to deny," she laughs. "It might be a sports car, cool and expensive but too…"

"Green?" Steve helps.

"Yeah," she giggles. "You know, my father always loved the lush greenery on the island, that's why he picked this color. However, the light shade reminds me more of grass and not jungles but whatever."

Steve knows no matter how much she dislikes the color of her own car, she would never get rid of it. It doesn't only remind her of grass; it reminds her of her father, too. And that's what matters.

That's why he still keeps his father's car in his garage, too.

"Anyway, don't call a cab," he tells. "I'll give you a ride."

"No, no, this boat trip has already taken too much of your time," she protests. "Cab is fine, don't worry."

"Don't be ridiculous, Sophia, come on," Steve insists and sets off towards his truck. He thinks if he doesn't give her a chance to disagree, she will follow him.

He's right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the last chapter. A big thank you to everyone for the hits and kudos!  
> Again, there might be a sequel coming up :)  
> I'd like to thank my beta, Phoebe Miller for the help and support.  
> Enjoy and stay safe!  
> Disclaimer: I do not own H50. I wish

When Steve pulls up in front of Sophia's house, she seems a bit reluctant to get out, which surprises him.

He thinks grieving her father might have not been the only reason why she's had some difficulties in getting to know new friends in Hawaii. Maybe she's a kind of person who is quite okay on her own, thank you very much and doesn't need to be around people all the time. She didn't exactly jump on his offer to call him after all. However, he can't decide if she's really a kind of loner or stubborn and wouldn't admit she needs people.

So it does surprise Steve, when she doesn't jump out of his truck as soon as he stops the car. He thought their afternoon together was more than enough for Sophia.

"Hey, I know it's such a cliché, but don't you wanna come in for a coffee?" she asks so shyly as if she has asked him to give her a million dollars. "I hope you don't misunderstand me, I just wanna thank you for the ride," she quickly adds.

"You don't have to thank me, Sophia, but I would love to have a coffee," he smiles. For some reason that he can't quite understand himself, he's reluctant to end this afternoon, too.

"Good," she returns his smile. "I make a mean espresso."

When they enter the house, Sophia is already on her way to the kitchen. "Let's sit out on the lanai" she says over her shoulder and gestures towards a glass door.

Steve is not in a hurry and takes a good look around. It's not a big house but seems surprisingly friendly and comfy considering Sophia has been living here only for a few weeks. She has a good taste and apparently a talent in home décor. He notices plenty of details that remind of the ocean and Hawaii. Paintings, sea shells, leis, flowers, wooden artwork, ornaments… He wonders if Sophia really loves Hawaii or just wants to help herself get used to her new home.

He walks out to the lanai, which is – just like the garden – smaller than his, and the ocean is further away from here, but he can still hear and smell the water. There are palm trees dancing in the light breeze, there are bright flowers and bushes everywhere – the garden looks like an intimate, lush secret sanctuary. On the lanai there are two chairs, a small round table and a rocking chair. And plenty of pot plants. He can picture Sophia reading in the rocking chair or drinking her morning coffee here.

"Here I am," she says appearing with a tray in her hands. She unloads two cups of coffee, milk, sugar and some cookies on the table.

"I like your place," Steve compliments settling down in a chair.

"Yeah, me too," she smiles and looks around in her garden. "Especially this part." She sips her coffee. "You probably wonder why I chose this place over the hotel suite where my dad used to live."

"Well, it's definitely different from a luxurious suite," Steve replies. "And I have never seen that place, but this, this looks like home."

"Thank you, Steve," she answers with a proud smile on her face. Then she gets a bit melancholic. "But it's not about that. It would have been too much. When I entered that suite, it was just… overwhelming, you know? I could see my father everywhere. At the desk, on the couch, on the balcony… That was his home after all. But after not having him in my life for decades, it was just too much. Maybe I shouldn't say this, it's not right-"

"Hey, Sophia, don't beat yourself up on this, what sounds right and what doesn't. You have the right to feel the way you do, okay?"

She nods. "Anyway, I couldn't enter that suite anymore. So I have all of his stuff packed in boxes and keep those in a warehouse. I hope one day I'll be able to go through his stuff… but that won't happen any time soon, I guess… I named the suite after him, and it's now available for guests. I thought dad loved the hotel so much that he wouldn't want his suite to be sealed just because I can't go in there. It's much better that now it's an integral part of his beloved hotel. But maybe I'm wrong. I mean I didn't know him at all, how would I know what he would want?" she laughs bitterly and blinks back some tears.

Steve looks away to give her a moment to calm down. "As for me, I do live in my dad's house," he says to distract her from her pain. "But I grew up in that house, so that's always been my home. However, when I moved back after my dad's death, I sometimes doubted if that was the right decision. Maybe it would have been easier to have a fresh start somewhere else."

"Yeah, but there you could feel yourself closer to your dad, I guess."

"Yes. And for that, you have your father's hotel. It's okay, if you think that's enough."

She nods. "So you don't regret moving into your dad's house?" she asks, and Steve knows she doesn't want to talk about her own father anymore.

"I love that place," he smiles. "I mean first it was full of old memories, and that was kinda hard, but then I started to fill it with new ones. And the ocean in the backyard helps, too" he grins.

"What?!" she exclaims. "The ocean in the backyard? Get out of here!" she laughs.

The rest of the late afternoon is spent with pleasant chatter about Hawaii: Steve recommends hikes, restaurants, places to go and things to do Sophia might like.

And as the afternoon turns into night, there's the sunset. They both lean back and admire the lush colors painting the sky. There are no clouds anywhere, just orange and red sky everywhere. It's beyond beautiful. Like a real piece of art.

"I will never get used to this," Sophia says with a smile.

"Trust me, you really never will," Steve winks.

They sit in silence admiring nature's latest painting, and when Steve looks over to Sophia, he notices she has dozed off. It's not a surprise, considering her crazy day at court. He smiles at how peaceful she looks, even though it cannot be too comfortable with her head lolling on her shoulder in an awkward angle.

Then the sun is gone, it gets dark and automatic fairy lights are turned on to offer an even cozier atmosphere. Steve likes this place. It really feels very comfy here. If only he had a beer in his hand.

But Sophia's rest only lasts so long. Her hands start twitching on the armrests, there's a frown on her face and she mutters something. Steve worriedly leans closer to her.

"No, no… leave me alone, please… let me go," she whispers.

Steve sighs. They have talked a lot about losing a father, and he has forgotten that she has just gone through another trauma: the night when Seito attacked her. The court day must have brought back those memories.

Steve touches her hand carefully not to scare but to assure her that she's safe. "Sophia, hey, wake up," he says gently, stroking her hand.

She immediately opens her eyes and looks around disorientated.

Steve keeps holding her hand. "It's okay, Sophia, you're safe. You're home and you're safe," he says comforting her.

She hesitantly nods and desperately tries to swallow her tears. Steve can see all is not good yet. He hesitates a bit but decides to pull her into a hug. She's a bit stiff first, but when Steve gently draws circles on her back, she melts into the hug and starts sobbing. Steve whispers comforting words into her ear, until a few minutes later she pulls away.

She swipes off her face with the back of her hands. "I'm sorry," she mutters while staring at her feet.

"Hey, hey, don't do that, please, Sophia, don't do that," Steve replies. "You have absolutely nothing to feel sorry about, you hear me?"

He lowers his head trying to look into her eyes and waits until she nods.

Steve would like to jump into his truck, drive to the prison and beat the crap out of Seito for doing this to the woman who was already broken when that bastard picked on her. But probably Sophia needs him more now.

"Do you need anything, Sophia?" he asks. "It's getting late, maybe you'd like to eat something or a drink, perhaps?"

She shakes her head. She turns her gaze to the garden, to the dark silhouettes of the trees.

"No, thank you, Steve. Just sit with me here, please?" she whispers.

She holds out her hand, he takes and squeezes it. Fine, if she needs an anchor, he can be that.

He can sit with her in the dark.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think?  
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
